Charlotte Brontë facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charlotte Brontë
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| Born | Charlotte Brontë 21 April 1816 Thornton, Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 31 March 1855 (aged 38) Haworth, Yorkshire, England |
| Pen name | Currer Bell |
| Occupation | Governess, novelist, poet |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Notable works | Jane Eyre, Villette, Shirley (novel) |
| Spouse | Arthur Bell Nichols |
| Relatives | Emily Brontë Anne Brontë Branwell Brontë |
Charlotte Brontë (born April 21, 1816 – died March 31, 1855) was an English novelist and poet.
She first published her books, including Jane Eyre, using a pseudonym (a false name) called Currer Bell. In 1846, Charlotte encouraged her sisters to publish a book of poems. It was called Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. However, not many copies were sold. Her first novel, The Professor, was turned down by many publishers. It was finally printed after she died, in 1857.
Charlotte Brontë is most famous for her novel Jane Eyre (1847). This book became very popular when it was first published. Jane Eyre tells the powerful story of a brave and clever woman. She faces many challenges in her life and tries to find her place in society. Later, Charlotte wrote other books like Shirley (1849) and Villette (1853). She lived longer than her sisters. Sadly, she was only 38 years old when she died while expecting a baby.
Contents
Her Life Story
Charlotte Brontë was the third child in her family. Her father, Patrick Brontë, was an Irish Anglican clergyman. Her mother was Maria Branwell. In April 1821, the family moved a few miles to Haworth. Patrick became the pastor there. Maria Branwell Brontë died from cancer on September 15, 1821. She left behind five daughters and one son. Her sister, Elizabeth Branwell, then helped to look after the children.
In August 1824, Charlotte and three of her sisters went to the Clergy Daughters' School. This school was in Cowan Bridge in Lancashire. Charlotte later described it as Lowood School in her novel Jane Eyre. Her sisters who went with her were Emily, Maria, and Elizabeth. Charlotte believed the poor conditions at the school affected her health forever. She also thought it led to the early deaths of her two older sisters. Maria (born 1814) and Elizabeth (born 1815) died of tuberculosis in June 1825. Their father had taken them out of the school just before this.
At home in Haworth Parsonage, Charlotte and her younger siblings loved to write. These were Branwell, Emily, and Anne. They wrote stories about imaginary kingdoms they created. Charlotte and Branwell wrote exciting stories about their country called Angria. Emily and Anne wrote articles and poems about their own imaginary world, Gondal.
Charlotte went to school at Roe Head, Mirfield, from 1831 to 1832. There, she met her lifelong friends, Ellen Nussey and Mary Taylor. In 1833, she wrote a short novel called The Green Dwarf using the name Wellesley. Charlotte returned to Roe Head as a teacher from 1835 to 1838. In 1839, she became a governess (a private teacher) for different families in Yorkshire. She worked as a governess until 1841.
In 1842, Charlotte and Emily traveled to Brussels. They enrolled in a boarding school run by Constantin Heger and his wife. In return for their lessons, Charlotte taught English and Emily taught music. Their time at the school ended early when their aunt, Elizabeth Branwell, died in October 1842. Charlotte returned to Brussels alone in January 1843 to be a teacher at the school. This second stay was not very happy. She felt lonely and missed her home. She also grew very fond of Constantin Heger. She finally returned to Haworth in January 1844. Later, her experiences at the boarding school inspired parts of her novels The Professor and Villette.
First Published Works
In May 1846, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne paid to publish a collection of their poems. They used assumed names: Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. These pseudonyms hid that they were women, but kept their first initials. So, Charlotte became Currer Bell. "Bell" was the middle name of their father's assistant in Haworth, Arthur Bell Nicholls, whom Charlotte later married. "Currer" was the last name of a woman who had helped fund their school.
Charlotte explained why they used false names. She said they didn't want to be famous personally. They also didn't want to say they were women. They felt that female writers were sometimes judged unfairly. They noticed that critics might use personal attacks or false praise for women writers.
Only two copies of their poetry book were sold. But the sisters kept writing and started their first novels. They continued to use their pseudonyms when sending their stories to publishers.
The Professor and Jane Eyre
Charlotte Brontë's first novel, The Professor, could not find a publisher. However, she received an encouraging letter from Smith, Elder & Co. They were interested in any longer stories Currer Bell might send. Charlotte quickly finished her second novel and sent it in August 1847. Six weeks later, Jane Eyre: An Autobiography was published.
The book tells the story of Jane, a simple governess. After a difficult childhood, Jane falls in love with her employer, Mr. Rochester. They get married, but only after Mr. Rochester's first wife dies in a dramatic house fire. Jane did not know about his first wife at first. The book's writing style was new and exciting. It mixed realistic details with dramatic, mysterious events. It was also groundbreaking because it was told from a woman's point of view, showing her deep feelings. Charlotte believed that stories were best when based on real experiences. In Jane Eyre, she turned her experiences into a story that everyone could relate to.
Jane Eyre was an immediate success and received good reviews at first. A writer named G. H. Lewes said it was "an utterance from the depths of a struggling, suffering, much-enduring spirit." He called it "sighs from the depths." People wondered who the mysterious Currer Bell was, especially after Emily's Wuthering Heights and Anne's Agnes Grey were published.
As people suspected Currer Bell was a woman, some critics started to say her writing was "coarse" or rough. However, sales of Jane Eyre remained strong. They may have even increased because the book gained a reputation as being a bit "improper." Charlotte was also a talented artist. She drew the pictures for the second edition of Jane Eyre. In the summer of 1834, two of her paintings were shown at an art exhibition in Leeds.
Marriage
Before her novel Villette was published, Charlotte received a marriage proposal. It was from Arthur Bell Nicholls, her father's assistant pastor, who had loved her for a long time. She first turned him down. Her father also didn't approve, partly because Nicholls didn't have much money.
Elizabeth Gaskell, a friend and writer, encouraged Charlotte to think about marriage. She believed marriage brought good duties for a woman. Charlotte became more and more attracted to Nicholls. By January 1854, she accepted his proposal. They got her father's approval by April and married in June. Her father, Patrick, was supposed to walk Charlotte down the aisle. But at the last minute, he decided he couldn't. So Charlotte had to walk to the church without him. The married couple went on their honeymoon to Banagher, County Offaly, Ireland. Everyone said her marriage was a happy one. Charlotte found a new kind of happiness in her life.
Her Death
Charlotte became pregnant soon after her wedding. However, her health quickly got worse. According to Elizabeth Gaskell, she suffered from "constant sickness and fainting." She died, along with her unborn child, on March 31, 1855. This was just three weeks before her 39th birthday.
Her death certificate stated the cause of death as tuberculosis. However, some writers who studied her life suggest she died from a serious illness during her pregnancy. There is also some evidence that she died from typhus. She might have caught it from Tabitha Ackroyd, the oldest servant in the Brontë home, who died shortly before her. Charlotte Brontë was buried in the family vault at the Church of St Michael and All Angels in Haworth.
The Professor, the first novel Charlotte had written, was published after her death in 1857. She had started a new novel in her last years, but it was unfinished. It has been completed by other authors since then. The most famous version is Emma Brown: A Novel from the Unfinished Manuscript by Charlotte Brontë by Clare Boylan in 2003. Many of her writings about her imaginary country Angria have also been published since she died.
Books by Charlotte Brontë
- Poems by Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell (1846)
- Jane Eyre, published in 1847
- Shirley, published in 1849
- Villette, published in 1853
- The Professor, published after her death in 1857
- Emma, unfinished; Charlotte Brontë wrote only 20 pages. The book was later finished by author Clare Boylan and released in 2003. It was named Emma Brown.
Images for kids
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This photo-portrait of Ellen Nussey has long been mistaken for one of her friend Charlotte Brontë. The photo is a copy made around 1918 by the photographer, Sir Emery Walker, from an original photo.
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A portrait by J. H. Thompson at the Brontë Parsonage Museum.
See also
In Spanish: Charlotte Brontë para niños
